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National Spelling Bee competitors try to address weaknesses, including 'super short, tricky words'
![Nathan Howard Achyut Ethiraj, 14, of Fort Wayne, Ind., reacts to misspelling his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/a32c3d491b3246b09b4bc24597d35976/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Achyut Ethiraj, 14, of Fort Wayne, Ind., reacts to misspelling his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Jacquelyn Martin Faizan Zaki, 12, of Allen, Texas, right, runs over to hug Aryan Khedkar, 13, of Rochester Hills, Mich., after Khedkar was eliminated close to the end of the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/09bc140103454186a94f02752fd010c0/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Faizan Zaki, 12, of Allen, Texas, right, runs over to hug Aryan Khedkar, 13, of Rochester Hills, Mich., after Khedkar was eliminated close to the end of the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
![Jacquelyn Martin N'Adom Darko-Asare, 13, of Accra, Ghana, covers her face while listening to the competition during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Darko-Asare is the last of three Ghanaian competitors left in the quarterfinals. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/1ac7af7eb5f94a179e8aa98ef3f94af7/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
N'Adom Darko-Asare, 13, of Accra, Ghana, covers her face while listening to the competition during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. Darko-Asare is the last of three Ghanaian competitors left in the quarterfinals. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
![Jacquelyn Martin Ankita Balaji, 13, of Herndon, Va., reacts as she spells her word wrong during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/3b3cdb6bd1ba4ae69413c034a4d48cb8/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Ankita Balaji, 13, of Herndon, Va., reacts as she spells her word wrong during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
![Nathan Howard Ian Gibson, 14, of Bowling Green, Ky., left, high fives Carey Chesire, 13, of Wichita, Kan., after Chesire correctly spelled his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/3b53cd3a4af44b168b8204b96a9a63bf/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Ian Gibson, 14, of Bowling Green, Ky., left, high fives Carey Chesire, 13, of Wichita, Kan., after Chesire correctly spelled his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Nathan Howard Oliver Halkett, 12, Los Angeles, Calif., works out the parts of his word before misspelling during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/4f62193eb79046f3b8830c0cf75dacb7/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Oliver Halkett, 12, Los Angeles, Calif., works out the parts of his word before misspelling during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Nathan Howard Aryan Khedkar, 13, of Rochester Hills, Mich., reacts to correctly spelling his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/d9e801a3e4d042d1b183bc851f406939/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Aryan Khedkar, 13, of Rochester Hills, Mich., reacts to correctly spelling his word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Nathan Howard Katelyn Nguyen, 13, of Huntington Beach, Calif., reacts to misspelling her word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/f52144265a51471aa85e5e4ca38132f5/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Katelyn Nguyen, 13, of Huntington Beach, Calif., reacts to misspelling her word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Mariam Zuhaib Siya Sampath, 9, left, of Haymarket, Va., reacts with her mother after spelling her word incorrectly during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/79411f3c172e46fa9f0a4b6f18fcea64/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Siya Sampath, 9, left, of Haymarket, Va., reacts with her mother after spelling her word incorrectly during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
![Jacquelyn Martin Shradha Rachamreddy, 14, of San Jose, Calif., correctly spells her first word during the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/bc486b7615ee44d0b5526755ac004c20/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Shradha Rachamreddy, 14, of San Jose, Calif., correctly spells her first word during the semifinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
![Nathan Howard Amaani Charan, 14, of San Jose, Calif., reacts to misspelling her word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/7cdcdc6496e24bea8438dfeb2045b10f/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Amaani Charan, 14, of San Jose, Calif., reacts to misspelling her word during the quarterfinal round of competition in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Nathan Howard)
![Mariam Zuhaib Tanya Kadaru, 13, left, of Keller, Texas, yawns during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)](https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/33acd832c3044b5e9e93e9f12a3ea505/preview/preview.jpg?s=680x)
Tanya Kadaru, 13, left, of Keller, Texas, yawns during the quarterfinals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, in Oxon Hill, Md., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)